When the atmosphere is heated by the solar radiation, it radiates heat back to the Earth's surface increasing the Earth's surface temperature. This is also what causes the greenhouse effect and urban heat island.
Your answer would be A it is absorbed by the earth
The energy entering, reflected, absorbed, and emitted by the Earth system are the components of the Earth's radiation budget. Based on the physics principle of conservation of energy, this radiation budget represents the accounting of the balance between incoming radiation, which is almost entirely solar radiation, and outgoing radiation, which is partly reflected solar radiation and partly radiation emitted from the Earth system, including the atmosphere. A budget that's out of balance can cause the temperature of the atmosphere to increase or decrease and eventually affect our climate.
